Ultraviolet light source and methods

ABSTRACT

A UV illumination method includes moving a UV peripheral separate from a smart device to location associated with a plurality of target surfaces, selecting a UV illumination application executing upon the smart device, selecting an icon from within the UV illumination application, sending via a wireless communication mechanism of the smart device to the UV peripheral, instructions to turn on a UV light disposed in the UV peripheral in response to the selection of the icon, receiving via a wireless communication mechanism disposed in the UV peripheral, the instructions to turn on the UV light, illuminating, with the UV light within the UV peripheral, sanitizing UV light to the plurality of target surfaces other than surfaces of the smart device in response to the instructions, and thereafter terminating illuminating, with the UV light within the UV peripheral, the sanitizing UV light from the plurality of target surfaces.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/745,315 filed Jun. 19, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,669,121 issued onJun. 6, 2017), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.No. 14/704,888 filed May 5, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,566,357 issued onFeb. 14, 2017), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.No. 14/645,290 filed Mar. 11, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,468,695 issuedon Oct. 18, 2016), which claims priority to Chinese Pat. App. No.201410499470.7 filed Sep. 25, 2014. These applications are incorporatedby reference, for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mobile communications device andmethods of operation. More specifically, embodiments of the presentinvention relate to a mobile communications device, such as a smartphone, including an ultraviolet light source, and methods of controllingthe ultraviolet light source using the smart phone.

The inventor of the present invention is aware of the use of ultravioletlight for disinfectant purposes. Currently, there are few stand-aloneproducts on the market that provide ultraviolet light for cleaningsurfaces or purifying water. One such product is a hand held UV wandthat is plugged into a wall socket, and waved over surfaces; and anothersuch product is a hand-held unit that runs on batteries, and is insertedto sanitize a bottle of water.

Some drawbacks contemplated by the inventor, to such devices include thehigh power consumption of such devices limit utility of such devices.For example, surface sanitizers are typically bulky and need to bepowered by plugging them into a wall socket; and portable watersanitizers use batteries, but drain them quickly. Additional drawbacksare when the user travels, the user must remember to bring along.Because of gadget overload, such dedicated ultraviolet light (UV)sources are not believed to be widely adopted.

It is desired to have an ultraviolet light source without the drawbacksdescribed above.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mobile communications device andmethods of operation. More specifically, embodiments of the presentinvention relate to a mobile communications device, such as a smartphone, including an ultraviolet light source, and methods of controllingthe ultraviolet light source using the smart phone.

In some embodiments, a case or dongle for a smart phone is contemplatedhaving an integrated ultraviolet (UV) light source and a power source,e.g. batteries. In such embodiments the UV light source may be locatednear one or more holes of the case, or anywhere else, where the cameraof a smart phone is located. In some embodiments, power for the UV lightmay be drawn from the smart phone or from the case or dongle.

In some embodiments, a smart phone is contemplated having an integratedUV light located near the camera of a smart phone is located, oranywhere else. In some embodiments, power for the UV light may be drawnfrom the smart phone.

In some embodiments, application software is installed upon the smartphone, and programs the processor of the smart phone to perform one ormore operations. Some operations may include monitoring a camera imageor accelerometers, directing the UV light to turn on and off, and thelike. In some examples, the camera image may be monitored to determinewhere the UV light is directed towards, may be monitored to determinewhether the UV light is pointed upwards or downwards, etc. In otherexamples, the camera image may be used to determine if the UV light isclose enough to a surface for disinfectant purposes, or the like.

In some embodiments, accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc. may also be usedto determine orientation of the smart phone. In particular, if the UVlight of the smart phone is directed upwards, the power may be shut-offfrom the UV light; while the UV light of the smart phone is directed,e.g. within 45 degrees of downwards, the UV light may be turned on, orthe like.

In various embodiments, using data from one or more of these sensors,the smart phone may be programmed to indicate to the user how long tohold the UV light source of the smart phone over a particular surface;when a particular surface is sanitized and when to move the UV lightsource of the smart phone to a new location; or the like. In addition,the smart phone may be programmed to turn off the UV light upon unsafeusage conditions.

According to one aspect of the invention, a device for providingultraviolet light is disclosed. One device includes a shell for aportable device, wherein the shell includes an interior region and anexterior region, wherein the interior region is adapted to be disposedadjacent to the portable device. An apparatus includes a power sourceconfigured to provide electrical power, and an ultraviolet light sourcecoupled to the power source and embedded into the exterior region of theshell, wherein the ultraviolet light source is configured to output theultraviolet light in response to the electrical power.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method for providingultraviolet light includes providing a shell having an interior regionand an exterior region, wherein the shell comprises an ultraviolet lightsource embedded into the exterior region of the shell, wherein theultraviolet light source is configured to output ultraviolet light. Atechnique may include disposing a portable device adjacent to theinterior region within the shell, and powering the ultraviolet lightsource to cause the ultraviolet light source to output the ultravioletlight to a plurality of surfaces. In other aspects, a method includescoupling a UV source dongle to the portable device, e.g. plugging intoan interface/power port of the portable device.

According to one aspect of the invention, a method for a hand-helddevice is disclosed. One technique includes illuminating, with a firstUV LED associated with the hand-held device, a surface of an object withUV light, and acquiring with a visible-light image sensor on thehand-held device, a first image of the surface of the object while thesurface of the object is illuminated by the first UV LED. A methodincludes performing with the processor in the hand-held device, afunction upon the first image to determine a type of contaminantdisposed upon the surface of the object. In some embodiments, a processmay include determining with the processor in the hand-held device,sanitation techniques to perform in response to the type of contaminantthat is determined, and displaying with a touch-screen display on thehand-held device, the sanitation techniques to perform to the user. Insome embodiments, sanitation techniques may include washing the surfaceof the object, using a sanitation product on the surface of the object,exposing UV-C light on the surface of the object, and the like.

According to another aspect of the invention, a hand-held device forinspecting a surface of an object is disclosed. One device includes afirst light source configured to illuminate the surface of the object,and an image sensor configured to capture with a visible-light image ofthe surface of the object while the surface of the object is illuminatedby the first light source. A system may include a processor coupled tothe first light source and the image sensor, wherein the processor isconfigured to perform a function upon the first image to determine atype of a contaminant disposed upon the surface of the object, whereinthe processor is configured to determine sanitation techniques toperform in response to the type of contaminant that is determined,wherein the sanitation techniques includes user instructions, and atouch-screen display coupled to the processor, wherein the touch-screendisplay is configured to display the user instructions to the user. Insome embodiments, the sanitation techniques include UV LED exposuresettings, and the touch-screen display is configured to display a UVillumination icon to the user, and the touch-screen display isconfigured to receive, a user selection of the UV illumination icon. Anapparatus may include a second UV-LED coupled to the processor, whereinthe second UV-LED is configured to illuminate the contaminant disposedsurface of the object with UV light, in response to the UV LED exposuresettings, and wherein the processor is configured to receive the userselection of the UV illumination icon and configured to output the UVLED exposure settings to second UV-LED in response thereto. In someembodiments, the first light source may include a visible light source,infrared light source, and/or UV light source.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention canbe more fully appreciated with reference to the detailed description andaccompanying drawings that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more fully understand the present invention, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings. They are not to be consideredlimitations in the scope of the invention, the presently describedembodiments and the presently understood best mode of the invention aredescribed with additional detail through use of the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of various embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a functional block diagram of embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 illustrate block diagrams of flow processes of variousembodiments;

FIGS. 4A-B illustrate examples of various embodiments of the presentinvention; and

FIGS. 5A-C illustrate block diagrams of flow processes of variousembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates various embodiments of the present invention. Morespecifically, FIG. 1 illustrates a hand-held computing device (e.g.smart phone, tablet) 100. In various embodiments, as illustrated, theback casing 110 of device 100, may include a camera 120, a LED lightsource (e.g. flash) 130, and a UV light source 140. In FIG. 1, UV lightsource 140 may be positioned such that light 150 from the UV lightsource 140 is within a field of view 160 of camera 120. In otherembodiments, light 150 may not be within field of view 160. UV lightsource 140 may be positioned on the side, top, bottom, or the like ofsmart device 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates a functional block diagram of various embodiments ofthe present invention (smart device), e.g. iPad, iPhone, Nexus, etc. InFIG. 2, a computing device 200 typically includes an applicationsprocessor 210 (e.g. A7 Core, Tegra), memory (including controllers) 220(e.g. DRAM, Flash), a touch screen display 230 (e.g. OLED, IPS) anddriver 240, a camera 250 (e.g. CMOS, CCD), audio input/output devices260 (speakers/microphone), and the like. Communications from and tocomputing device are typically provided by via a wired interface 270, aGPS/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth interface 280, RF interfaces 290 (e.g. CDMA, GSM,HSUPA) and processor 300, and the like. Also included in variousembodiments are physical sensors 310, e.g. multi-axisMicro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) including accelerometers,gyroscopes, magnetometers, pressure sensors, or the like. In variousembodiments, operating systems may include iOS, Windows Mobile, Android,or the like.

In some embodiments, computing device may include an integrated UV lightsource 330. The UV light source 330 may be embodied as a UV light sourcebeing developed by the assignee of the present patent application,RayVio, although other sources may also be used. In some embodiments, UVlight source 330 may include a UV LED that outputs light within the UV-Arange, the UV-B range, and/or the UV-C range.

FIG. 2 is representative of one computing device 200 capable ofembodying the present invention. It will be readily apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art that many other hardware and softwareconfigurations are suitable for use with the present invention.Embodiments of the present invention may include at least some but neednot include all of the functional blocks illustrated in FIG. 2. Forexample, in some embodiments, the hand-held computing device need not bea multi-purpose smart-device, but may be a dedicated device. Further, itshould be understood that multiple functional blocks may be embodiedinto a single physical package or device, and various functional blocksmay be divided and be performed among separate physical packages ordevices.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A-B, the UV light sourcemay be embodied in a protective case for a smart device (FIG. 4A),and/or a device that can be attached and detached from a smart device(FIG. 4B). As will be discussed below, such devices may include a UVlight source, power source, UV controller, physical sensors (MEMS),wired or wireless communications capability, or the like. It should beunderstood that the processes described herein may be applied to theintegrated smart device embodiments discussed in conjunction with FIG.1, as well as the peripheral embodiments discussed in conjunction withFIGS. 4A and 4B, below.

FIG. 3 illustrates block diagrams of flow processes according to someembodiments. More specifically, FIG. 3 describes a disinfection orsanitization process. Initially, the user initiates an application(software) upon the smart device to start a UV sanitation process, step400. This may include the user tapping upon an application icon of adisplay of the smart device, the user hitting a physical button on thesmart device, a software timer going off, or the like.

In some embodiments, the smart device determines whether it is safe toturn on or keep on the UV light, step 410. In some embodiments, this mayinclude the smart device monitoring the MEMS sensors and/or cameras,discussed above, to ensure that the UV light of the smart phone isdirected towards a “safe” direction, e.g. the ground, e.g. not upwardstowards the face of the user. In some embodiments, this may include thesmart device monitoring the amount of light reaching the camera. Forexample, if there is little light reaching a downwards facing camera,but a lot of light reaching an upwards facing camera, it might beassumed that the UV light faces a surface being sanitized and can beconsidered safe to be turned on. In another example, if the tilt angleof the downwards orientation is within +/−10 degrees, +/−45 degrees, orthe like from downwards, as sensed by the MEMS, the UV light may stillbe considered safe to be turned on. In some embodiments, based upon thetilt angle, the amount of UV may be varied, for example, at 0 degrees,the UV light may be 100%, at 10 degrees, the UV light may be 50%, etc.In other embodiments, combinations of MEMS sensors and optical detectionmay be used for this step.

In some embodiments, images from the cameras may be processed by patternrecognition software to provide additional capabilities. The imagerecognition software may be resident upon the hand-held device and therecognition process may be performed locally on the hand-held device. Inother examples, images may be uploaded (via network) to a server andprocessing may occur on the server. In some examples, images from adownwards facing camera (UV assuming the light is also directeddownwards) can be used to help determine if the UV light is directedtowards a safe surface for sanitization. In some examples, if thedownwards facing camera captures an image of a face, animal, skin, orthe like, the UV light may be inhibited; if neither the upwards facingcamera nor the downwards facing camera recognizes a face, only then canthe UV light may be allowed; or the like. In some embodiments, onlygroups of specific surfaces can be sanitized, after these surfaces arevisually identified. As examples, when surfaces with printed letters,e.g. keyboards, magazines, airplane emergency cards are identified bycharacter recognition software, the UV light source may be enabled. Inother examples, surfaces to be sanitized may be enabled and/oridentified by bar-code, QR code, image, target, or the other suchidentifier. In such examples, only surfaces bearing such identifiers canbe sanitized. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize many otherexamples of image recognition that may be used in various embodiments ofthe present invention.

In some embodiments, based upon a recognized object, the amount of UVlight directed towards the object may be modified. As mentioned above,the recognition process may be performed upon the hand-held (smart)device, or in a remote server. In various embodiments, the hand-helddevice and/or the remote server may provide an identifier or class ofidentifier of the object and based upon the identifier, and then thehand-held device modulates the UV power output; and in anotherembodiment, the server may directly provide the UV power outputparameters to the hand-held device, based upon the identified object orclass of object, In one example, when an image is recognized to includean orange, the UV exposure time may be 60 seconds, whereas when theimage is recognized to include an apple, the UV exposure time may be 20seconds. The exposure times may be based upon contaminants or pathogenscommonly associated with such items, such as Salmonella on oranges, E.Coli on apples, and the like. In other embodiments, the exposure timesmay be based upon a type of pathogen/contaminant suspected by the user.In particular, if the user comes upon a rodent nest under their house,they may believe that surfaces and/or insects carry diseases, such asBubonic plague, or the like. Accordingly, the user may directly select aUV setting. Alternatively, the user may input the suspected type ofpathogen, and based upon the pathogen, the UV settings may be providedfrom the remote server, or stored within the smart device.

In some embodiments, a focus distance of the camera may be used todetermine whether the UV light source is inhibited or not. For example,in some embodiments, when camera determines that the surface is withinabout 6 inches away from the camera/UV light source, the UV light may beactivated; and for safety sake, when the distance is further than 6inches, the UV light source may be deactivated. In various embodiments,the safety measures may be implemented as a combination of hardware andsoftware. In some cases, the user may be able to override safety measurein certain circumstances and turn on the UV light, e.g. with aclick-through agreement, age verification, password verification,fingerprint recognition, biometric recognition, or the like. In othercases, certain safety measures may not be overridden, e.g. UV light isturned off if the UV light is pointed upwards and a face is detected inthe field of view of the camera.

In some embodiments, the camera flash (e.g. LED) and a photo diode onthe hand-held device may also be used to determine the distance of theUV light source from a surface. Such embodiments may rely upon theround-trip time for the light from the camera flash to reflect from asurface and be sensed by the photo diode. In some embodiments, thedetermined distances (camera focus, round-trip time, proximitydetection, etc.) may also be used in determining a power output,duration, duty cycle, or the like for the UV light source. For example,if the determined distance to the surface is 4 inches, the power outputof the UV light source may be smaller than if the determined distance tothe surface is 36 inches. Alternatively, the power output of the UVlight source may be about the same, but the exposure time would beshorter for the surface that is only 4 inches away. In light of theabove disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize otherembodiments may use other combination of the above embodiments.

In various embodiments, if safe, power may be applied to the UV lightand one or more timers may be initiated, step 420. When the UV light isturned on, the user may be notified, for example, an auxiliary visiblelight source may turn on, the display of the smart device may turn blue,a sound may be emitted, a vibration may be produced, etc.

In various embodiments, while the UV light is positioned over aparticular surface, the cameras and/or the MEMS sensors may be used todetermine whether the smart phone has moved, step 430. In someembodiments, to sanitize a surface, the surface should be exposed to UVlight for a certain amount of time. However, if the user moves the UVlight around, a keyboard, for example, regions of the keyboard may notbe sufficiently exposed to the UV light. Accordingly, based upon opticaltracking (from camera images), and/or MEMS sensors, the smart device canrecognize what surface the UV light is illuminated.

In various embodiments, based upon pattern recognition and/or imagestitching functions, software can determine how long different parts ofsurface, e.g. a keyboard, have been exposed to UV light. In such anexample, the application software can determine that the asdf keys wereexposed to UV light for 15 seconds, and thus sanitized, but the jkl;keys were exposed to UV light for only 5 seconds, thus further exposureis necessary. In some embodiments, as the user scans across a surface,multiple images of the surface may be captured and stitched togetherautomatically, and as the UV light is swept across the surface,approximate exposure times for different portions of the surface areassociated with portions of the stitched image. In various embodiments,movement sensors may provide feedback regarding an optimal scanning rateof the UV light over the surface.

In some embodiments, the timers may be used to determine whether the UVlight has exposed a surface a sufficient period of time, step 440,and/or to determine whether the UV light has been powered on for toolong, step 450. In the latter case, the UV light may be automaticallyswitched off, step 460. In other embodiments, many other such timers maybe used for similar purposes. The amount of time may vary upon the typeof surface to be disinfected, for example, fruit, water, and plasticsurfaces may require different exposure times.

In various embodiments, after a particular surface has been exposed toUV light for a sufficient period of time, the smart device may notifythe user, e.g. sound, image, vibration. In some embodiments, the usermay terminate the above process at any time.

FIG. 4A illustrates another embodiment, a protective housing 500 for asmart device.

As illustrated, protective housing 500 may include an opening 510 wherethe camera of the smart device is positioned. Additionally, housing mayinclude a UV light source 520, typically near opening 510, and a region530 for a power source, e.g. battery. In other words, in someembodiments, UV light source 520 receives power from a smart device thatis nestled within protective housing 500. For example, a plug, or thelike may be provided that physically plugs into a port of the smartdevice and draws power therefrom. In some embodiments, the port may bean I/O port, power port, peripheral port, USB, Firewire or other ports.In such embodiments, the smart device may control light from UV lightsource 520 by selectively applying power over the port, as wasdiscussed. In particular, under control of one or more softwareapplications running upon the smart device, the UV light may be turnedon or off, and the UV light intensity may be adjusted. In someembodiments, housing 500 communicates with smart device via a wirelesscommunication mechanism, e.g. Bluetooth, NFC, or the like, or a wiredconnection, e.g. a tether.

In other embodiments, protective housing 500 may include an internalbattery, e.g. an external battery pack for the smart device, from whichto draw power. In such embodiments, the UV light upon housing 500 maystill be under the control of the smart device, as discussed above,and/or under the control of housing 500. For example, housing 500 mayhave a physical enable button or switch for the UV light, and ifenabled, the smart device can power on the UV light source. In anotherexample, housing 500 may have a MEMS device that senses when the UVlight is pointed upwards, and disables the UV light from beingpowered-on, even though the smart phone tries to power-on the UV light.In other embodiments, power may be drawn from the smart device via a USBport, Firewire port, headphone port, or the like.

In various embodiments of housing 500, exposure of UV light source 520may be within a field of view of a smart device camera. In otherembodiments, e.g. relying upon MEMS devices, exposure and field of viewfor the camera may not overlap. MEMS accelerometers, or the like may beintegrated into protective housing 500 in some embodiments, for thepurposes previously discussed above.

FIG. 4B illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, adongle (peripheral) or device 540 for a smart device. In thisembodiment, dongle 540 typically includes a physical and/or mechanicalinterface 550 for attachment onto and detachment from a smart device. Invarious embodiments, device 540 includes one or more UV light sources560. Dongle 540 may be self-powered (e.g. via battery) or may be poweredby the smart device.

In some embodiments, device 540 may be physically attached to a smartdevice in operation. The UV light sources 560 may operate with and/or becontrolled by smart device, similar to the embodiments described above.Additionally, UV light sources 560 may receive power from smart deviceor an internal battery.

In other embodiments, device 540 may be physically detached from a smartdevice in operation. Once detached, the user may point UV light sources560 towards a surface to sanitize, and active UV light sources 560through software operating upon the smart device. In some embodiments,device 540 may include a proximity sensor, image sensor, or the like.The sensor may be used by device 540 to determine whether the surface iswithin a distance, e.g. within 6 inches, of UV light sources 560. If so,device 540 may allow the smart device to activate UV light sources. Insome embodiments, device 540 may include position sensors, e.g. MEMSaccelerometers, or the like. Such position sensors may also be used bydevice 540 to determine whether UV light sources 560 are pointeddownwards. If so, device 540 may allow the smart device to activate UVlight sources.

In some embodiments, device 540 may be relatively water-proof. In someexamples, device 540 is separated from the smart device and thenimmersed in water to disinfect or sanitize the water. As describedabove, device 540 may be paratially controlled by smart device duringthe sanitization process.

In the various embodiments described above, for sanitization ordisinfection purposes, the UV LED light sources are typically within theUV-C band, although UV-A band and UV-B band also provides some degree ofsanitization. In such embodiments, a blue-colored LED (and/or a UV-ALED) may also be used. Since UV-C is typically not visible to the humaneye, the blue-colored LED is a visual indicator for a user that showswhether the UV-C light is active. Additionally, in some embodiments, theblue LED illuminates the same area as the UV-C LED. Accordingly, theuser will sanitize a surface by directing the blue light towards thatsurface. The supplemental blue LED may be used in any of theabove-described embodiments.

FIGS. 5A-C illustrate block diagrams of flow processes according to someembodiments. More specifically, FIGS. 5A-C describe a UV inspectionprocess. Initially, the user initiates an application (software) uponthe smart device to start a UV inspection process, step 600. This mayinclude the user tapping upon an application icon of a display of thesmart device, the user hitting a physical button on the smart device, asoftware timer going off, or the like.

In some embodiments, the smart device determines whether it is safe toturn on or keep on the UV-A light, step 610. Similar to the embodimentsdescribed above, the process may include the smart device monitoring theMEMS sensors and/or cameras for unsafe situations. For example, patternrecognition software can be used to ensure the UV-A light is not pointedto a person's face, an animal, or the like; and/or pointed to anappropriate surface, e.g. computer keyboard, printed media, cloth faces,etc. As merely another example, a camera focal distance, a reflected UVlight detector, a proximity sensor, or the like may be used to limit thedistance between the UV light and the surface.

In various embodiments, if safe, power may be applied to the UV-Awavelength LED and one or more timers may be initiated, step 620. Whenthe UV light is turned on, the user may be notified, for example, anauxiliary visible light source may turn on, the display of the smartdevice may turn blue, a sound may be emitted, a vibration may beproduced, etc.

In various embodiments, in step 630, the safety metrics determined instep 610 are monitored. While still safe, in some embodiments, asoftware application running on the smart device may allow the user tocapture a photograph (e.g. visible spectrum) of the surface, step 640.In some embodiments, no visible-light flash is used when capturing theimage, so that the natural fluorescence of the surface in response tothe UV-A or UV-C light is captured and stored, step 670. In someexamples, driver's licenses, passports, currency, quality orauthenticity labels, and the like may include UV-A responsive ink as afluorescence source. Accordingly, in this step, an image of thefluorescence can be used for bookkeeping, evidentiary purposes, or thelike, as described below.

In some embodiments, the image(s) of the UV-induced fluorescence may bedue to one or more pathogens, contaminants, residues or the like on asurface of an object. As merely an example, the image may show thefluorescence of bed-bugs on a bed; the image may show the fluorescenceof pathogens such as E-coli, Listeria, Salmonella and the like on asurface of a fruit or vegetable; the image may show that an egg iscontaminated by bacteria or mold; the image may show fecal matter orother biological materials on public bathroom surfaces, medicalinstruments or food-service or food-preparation regions, or the like.

In some embodiments, the image(s) of the UV-induced fluorescence may bedue to the presence of chemicals or the like in an object. As merely anexample, the image of a water sample may show presence of chemicalcontaminants, and the like; the image of a leaf may show thefluorescence of pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals on thesurface of a leaf, or the like.

In some embodiments, the fluorescence may be due to a change of naturalchemicals or change of composition that is detectable on the surface ofan object. As merely an example, the image of a fresh egg may be pink incolor (due to ooporpherin pigment on a fresh egg), whereas the image ofan older egg may be more violet; the image of a surface of an item canindicate the age, composition, origin, quality, of a food or beverageitem, such as cheese, milk, meat products, edible oils, wheat, rice,alcoholic beverages, sugars, fruit and vegetables, and the like.

In some embodiments, a visible-light flash may be used during imagecapture. For example, it is contemplated that the UV-A light source maybe used by a user to physically inspect a surface, e.g. passport, forauthentication purposes. Subsequently, when the user wants to take apicture of the surface without UV illumination, step 680, the UV lightsource is turned-off, step 690, and an image of the surface is capturedand stored, step 700. In some embodiments, the flash is activated so avisible light image of the surface may be captured. Again, the visiblelight image may be used for bookkeeping, evidentiary purposes, or thelike. As merely an example, the image may be a driver's license of aperson going through airport security.

In various embodiments, contaminant detection and/or contaminanthandling are then performed. In one embodiment, a user may indicate whattype of object is being inspected, and or what type of object iscaptured in the steps above, step 710. In various examples, one or morehierarchical graphical user interfaces may be output to the user toenable the selection of the type of object. For example, a top GUI mayinclude the general categories: fruit, vegetable, liquid, dairy,clothing, hard surfaces, and the like; and respective secondary GUIs mayinclude pictures of bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, etc.; carrots,lettuce leaves, onions, broccoli, etc.; water, etc.; milk, eggs, cheese,etc.; silk, wool, spandex, cotton, etc.; diaper changing surfaces,toilet seats, chopping boards, etc. In other embodiments, the user mayselect the object name from a textual list, or the like.

In response to the user identification of the object, data associatedwith the object may be obtained from memory, step 720. The data mayinclude colors of typical contaminants (including pathogens, chemicals,other characteristics of the object that may be captured, or the like)as they fluoresce under UV light. As an example, for fresh eggs, underUV light, the surface will appear pink-ish, whereas for older eggs, thesurface will appear violet or black. In other embodiments, thecontaminants (including pathogens, and the like, described above) may beretained in memory and used for all or more than one object. In otherwords, the types of impurities upon the surface of the objects may bedetected for all or multiple objects. As an example, for all fruits andvegetables, the data obtained in this step may include characteristiccolors of common bacteria such as E-coli, salmonella, listeria;pesticide residue; fecal residue; and the like.

In some embodiments, the fluoresced-color data associated withcontaminants, and the like may be stored locally, within adisinfection/identification application, and/or the color data may beretrieved from a remote server. The latter embodiments may be helpful intimes of mass sickness outbreaks, such as SARS, MERS, Ebola, or thelike. In such cases, as users become concerned with picking up suchdiseases, their smart devices may automatically receive (and or queryfor) the fluoresced-color data associated with such diseases. Forexample, when an outbreak becomes public, a traveler can quickly receiveUV-induced color data associated with the outbreak from a server, andthe traveler can inspect his hands, clothing, a room, an airline seat,and the like for the pathogen.

In various embodiments, the colors in the UV-induced fluorescent imageacquired in step 670 are compared to the color data of the contaminantsobtained above (step 720), step 730. If there is no match, the processmay return to step 610, and the user may continue to scan otherobjects/surfaces for contaminants.

If the colors substantially match, the user is notified of the possiblecontaminant (including pathogen, chemical, etc.), step 740. In variousembodiments, the notification may include the hand-held devicevibrating, producing a sound, displaying a warning on the display, andthe like. Accordingly, the user is made aware of possibly contaminatedfood before the user consumes it or purchases it.

In additional embodiments, if there is a match, the indication of thematch, the object type, the geographical coordinates of the match, andthe like may be uploaded to a remote server, step 750. By aggregatingsuch data in a remote server, “hot spots” of contaminants, can beidentified in real-time. Accordingly, locations of outbreaks ofdiseases, for example, can be quickly located, isolated, and/ordecontaminated. In other examples, such data can help identify sourcesof chemical pollution by identifying and studying how the pollutants arebeing geographically dispersed, before people are harmed by suchpollution. In still other examples, such data can help identify sourcesof contaminated food by identifying where the contaminated food is foundand studying suppliers of such food. The benefits to such actionsinclude identification of sources of contaminated food possibly before amass outbreak of sickness actually occurs.

In various embodiments, a determination is made as to whether the usercan attempt to de-contaminate the surface with UV light, step 760. Incertain configurations of a hand-held device, described above, a UV-LEDlight source providing light within the UV-C band (UV-C light source) isprovided. In this step, a determination is made as to whether exposureof the UV-C light can destroy the contaminant. For example, forpathogens such as E-coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, application of UV-Clight can destroy them; whereas for chemical pollution, such asfertilizers and insecticides, UV-light cannot neutralize them. In caseswhere UV-C light is used, the processor in the hand-held device mayretrieve parameters (e.g. exposure times, exposure power, etc.) fromlocal memory, or from a remote-server, step 770.

In certain embodiments, when such parameters are obtained in real-timefrom the remote server, the remote server may provide different UV-Clight parameters for different geographical regions, for differentintensities of detection, and the like. Such embodiments may be usefulfor running UV treatment experiments upon the contaminants. For example,in region A, if a contaminant is detected, a UV treatment time is short,but the UV intensity is high; in region B, a UV treatment time is long,but the UV intensity is low; in region C, a UV treatment time is shortand the UV intensity is short; and the like. As will be described below,the contaminant inspection process may be repeated by the user, untilthe object is safe to eat, accordingly, the experiments describe aboveare fully ethical. Such experiments can help determine more optimal andeffective UV treatment parameters for the identified contaminants, andthese optimal UV treatment parameters can then be widely distributed. Inother cases, if the contaminants show widely different effective UVtreatment parameters, this may help identify locations of weaker strainsof the contaminants and locations of stronger strains of thecontaminants. The identification of different strains may help scientistuse the weaker strains to combat the stronger strains, and the like.

In various embodiments, after receiving the UV-C light parameters, theuser is given instructions on how to point the UV-C light source at thecontaminated area, and expose the surface to the UV-C light, step 790.Various steps in the process described above may then be repeated by theuser to determine whether the UV-C treatment is successful.

In embodiments where the contaminants are not treated with UV-C light, adetermination is made whether the user can take other actions to makethe surface clean, step 790. For example, for pathogens such as E-coli,Salmonella, and Listeria, and chemical pollution, such as fertilizersand insecticides, a through washing of the surface of the object mayremove such contaminants. For consumable objects, washing with clean hotwater may be sufficient; whereas for food preparation surfaces, washingwith a dilute bleach solution may be required. In various embodiments,the types of ameliorative actions may be stored and retrieved from amemory within the hand-held device, or received from a remote-server,step 800.

In certain embodiments, when the actions are obtained in real-time fromthe remote server, the remote server may also provide different actionsfor different geographical regions, for different intensities ofdetection, and the like. Such embodiments may be useful for runningcleaning experiments upon the contaminants, such as, in region A, ableach solution is used; in region B, hot water is used; in region C,dish washing soap is used; and the like. As the contaminant inspectionprocess is repeated by the user, until the object is safe to eat, suchexperiments are ethical and can help determine more optimal andeffective treatment methods. In other cases, if the contaminants showwidely different responses to cleaning, this may again help identifylocations of weaker strains of the contaminants and locations ofstronger strains of the contaminants.

In various embodiments, after the user is given the cleaninginstructions, the user performs the actions, step 810. Various steps inthe process described above may then be repeated by the user todetermine whether the cleaning is successful.

In various embodiments, if the contaminant cannot be neutralized by UVor surface cleaning, the user is instructed to discard the object orselect a different object to buy, step 820. The process above may thenbe repeated.

Returning to FIG. 5A, in various embodiments, a determination is madewhether the UV light has been powered on for too long, step 650. In thelatter case, the UV light may be automatically switched off, step 660.In other embodiments, many other such timers may be used for similarpurposes. The amount of time may vary upon the intensity of the UVlight, the temperature, and the like.

Further embodiments can be envisioned to one of ordinary skill in theart after reading this disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, aUV light sensor may be included on the smart device, protective case,dongle, or the like. The UV light sensor may be positioned proximate tothe one or more UV light sources. In operation, the UV sensor may beused to determine if UV light is reflected from a surface, and/or anintensity of reflected UV light. In one embodiment, when reflected UVlight is not detected, the UV light source may not be pointed at asurface, for example, the UV light source may be pointed into space. Insuch an embodiment, the amount of UV light output from the UV lightsources may be decreased or pulsed for safety's sake. When reflected UVlight is subsequently detected by a UV light sensor, it may be assumedthat UV light is reflecting off of a relatively close surface.Accordingly, the UV light source output may be increased to the desiredUV light intensity. In some embodiments, if too much reflected UV lightis detected, the UV light intensity may be decreased.

Some of the above examples are directed to food or liquids contaminantsthat may harm a human or animal, but are not limited to food. Inparticular, embodiments may be directed to goods and the detection ofcounterfeit goods. For example, a user can identify a good and perform aUV scan on a portion of the good, e.g. quality tag, and capture imagesof the good fluorescing. The image can then be compared to authenticimages to help the user determine the authenticity of a good.Additionally, if a counterfeit object is detected, the indication may besent to a remote server for further action. For example, the remoteserver may be associated with a manufacturer, a governmental agency, orthe like.

In other embodiments, combinations or sub-combinations of the abovedisclosed invention can be advantageously made. For example, in someembodiments, the UV light peripheral may be stored separate from thesmart device. In operation, the user would plug-in the UV peripheralinto the smart device, and the UV peripheral would draw power and/orreceive instructions from the smart device. Software applicationsrunning on the smart device would then selectively activate anddeactivate the UV light source on the UV peripheral. When disinfecting,the user would then move their smart device (and the attached UV lightsource) over the treatment surface. After satisfactory completion, theuser may detach the UV light peripheral from the smart device, andphysically store the peripheral separate from the smart device. In otherembodiments, the UV light peripheral may be stored adjacent to the smartdevice. The block diagrams of the architecture and flow charts aregrouped for ease of understanding. However, it should be understood thatcombinations of blocks, additions of new blocks, re-arrangement ofblocks, and the like are contemplated in alternative embodiments of thepresent invention.

UV light may be used for other purposes than disinfecting or sanitizinga target surface. For example, in some embodiments, UV light from theabove-described UV light sources may also be used for detection ofcontaminants upon a target surface. In some embodiments, UV light(including light in the UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C wavelength range) may beoutput by one or more UV light sources, in response, certaincontaminants (e.g. bacteria, virus, insects, bodily fluids, etc.) upontarget surface will fluoresce. In one embodiment, the fluorescence ofthe contaminants may then be directly seen by a user, and the user willknow that the surface is dirty, unsafe, or the like. Accordingly, insome embodiments, no UV sanitation step is required.

In various embodiments, with continuous or high power to the UV lightsources (for detection and/or sanitation, the inventors are concernedabout the safety of the device to users. As was discussed above, anumber of safety mechanisms, including use of an accelerometer, tiltsensor, image recognition programs, and the like, can be incorporatedinto various embodiments to increase user safety

In various embodiments, additional techniques for increasing user safetyare contemplated. As merely an example, in some embodiments,non-continuous or low UV illumination of a UV light source may be usedfor contaminant detection. In some embodiments, a first picture of asurface is taken under natural light, camera flash, or the like; the UVlight source is quickly turned on or pulsed and while the contaminantsare fluorescing a second picture of the surface is taken; and the UVlight is turned off. In other embodiments, the order of taking picturesmay be reversed. Next, using appropriate image processing techniques,such as image normalization, equalization, subtraction, and the like, animage is generated representing the contaminants. This image can then bedisplayed to the user on the display of the hand-held computing device(e.g. smart phone). Additionally, the image may be uploaded to a remoteserver. In some embodiments, the processed images along with GPScoordinates may be saved upon the hand-held device and/or sent to theremote server. The process above may be repeated for different surfacesor the same surface in response to the user clicking a hardware orsoftware button on the hand-held computing device, dongle, or the like.In various embodiments, these image detection steps may be a part of theimage recognition process described above, and based upon the recognizedobjects, the appropriate UV treatment process may then be performed.

Advantages to these detection embodiments include that the contaminantstate of a hotel room, a restaurant table and utensils, a bathroom, anairplane seat-back, or the like can be documented by the user and/or theremote server (e.g. Yelp!, Tripadvisor, a security or safety-orientedserver or website, etc.). Additionally, if combined with thesanitation/treatment embodiments, described above, the user can documentthe “before” and “after” state of contaminants on a target surface.Other advantages to the above embodiments include that since the outputof the UV light source is a short burst for detection, as opposed to acontinuous or high output of the UV light source for sanitation, thepotential for UV light to adversely harm a user is greatly reduced. Moreparticularly, in one embodiment, the detection process may only utilizea short 10 ms burst of UV light at lower than about 100-200 milliwatts.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the inventors are awarethat most image sensors on hand-held devices (e.g. phones, tablets,cameras) are based upon ranges of red, green, and blue colored filters.Accordingly, detection of the color of UV-induced fluorescent may beapproximate. In various embodiments, to increase the color-matchingaccuracy a prismatic structure, grating structure, and the like may beinterposed between the surface of the object and the camera. In variousembodiments, the prismatic structure may be removably disposed upon thelens of the camera when using the process described therein. Inoperation, the colors of the fluorescence are spread across the imagesensor, such that spatial position is associated with spectralfrequency. As an example, suppose a first contaminant is associated witha red fluorescent peak at 700 nm, and a second contaminant is associatedwith red fluorescent peaks at 680 and 720 nm. In such a case, ifUV-induced fluorescent light is spread spatially, using a grating, andshows two peaks at about 680 nm and 720 nm, it is likely that thecontaminant is the second contaminant. In some embodiments, other typesof light sources may be used to cause a surface to fluoresce instead ofUV-A, UV-B, or UV-C, such as visible light, black-light, infrared, andthe like. In light of the present disclosure, it is believed that one ofordinary skill in the art will recognize other configurations andoperations that are within the scope of embodiments of the presentinvention.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A UV illumination method comprising: moving by auser, a UV peripheral separate from a smart device to a plurality oflocations associated with a plurality of target surfaces; selecting by auser, a UV illumination application for execution upon the smart devicefor the UV peripheral; selecting by the user, an icon from within the UVillumination application executing upon the smart device, sending via awireless communication mechanism of the smart device to the UVperipheral, instructions to turn on a UV light disposed in the UVperipheral in response to the selection of the icon; receiving via awireless communication mechanism disposed in the UV peripheral, theinstructions to turn on the UV light; illuminating, with UV light withinthe UV peripheral, sanitizing UV light to the plurality of targetsurfaces other than surfaces of the smart device in response to theinstructions; and thereafter terminating illuminating, with the UV lightwithin the UV peripheral, the sanitizing UV light from the plurality oftarget surfaces.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: sendingvia the wireless communication mechanism of the smart device to the UVperipheral instructions to turn off the sanitizing UV light in the UVperipheral; receiving via the wireless communication mechanism of the UVperipheral the instructions to turn off the sanitizing UV light; andwherein the terminating output by the UV peripheral of sanitizing UVlight to the plurality of target surfaces is in response to theinstructions to turn off the sanitizing UV light.
 3. The method of claim1 further comprising: initiating a timer in the UV peripheral todetermine an elapsed time in response to the instructions to turn on thesanitizing UV light; determining when the elapsed time exceeds athreshold; and wherein the terminating output by the UV peripheral ofsanitizing UV light to the plurality of target surfaces is in responseto a determination that the elapsed time exceeds the threshold.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: monitoring with the UV peripheralproximity to the plurality of target surfaces; determining with the UVperipheral whether the UV peripheral proximity is less than a threshold;and wherein illuminating with the UV peripheral the sanitizing UV lightto the plurality of targets surfaces is also in response to adetermination that the UV peripheral proximity is less than thethreshold.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: monitoring withthe UV peripheral one or more conditions; determining with the UVperipheral whether the conditions are within a threshold; and whereinilluminating with the UV peripheral the sanitizing UV light to theplurality of targets surfaces is also in response to a determinationthat the conditions are within the threshold.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein the conditions are selected from a group consisting of:proximity of the UV peripheral to the plurality of target surfaces, aclass of prohibited target surfaces, direction of illumination of the UVlight, remaining power stored in the UV peripheral, and illuminationduration.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein wavelengths for thesanitizing UV light is selected from a group consisting of: UV-A, UV-B,UV-C.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein prior to the illuminating withthe UV peripheral the sanitizing UV light, the method includes immersingthe UV peripheral in a liquid.
 9. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising: outputting with the UV peripheral a visible light inresponse to the instructions; wherein the visible light is provided byan LED selected from a group consisting of: a UV-A LED, a blue LED, ared LED, a green LED.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the wirelesscommunication mechanism is selected from a group consisting of: NFC,Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RF.
 11. The UV device of claim 10 wherein thecontrol mechanism is configured to direct the power source to stopproviding the operating power to the UV light source in response to anelapsed amount of time.
 12. The UV device of claim 10 further comprisinga visible light source disposed within the housing and coupled to thepower source and to the control mechanism, wherein the visible lightsource is configured to provide output of visible light in response tothe operating power provided by the power source.
 13. The UV device ofclaim 12 wherein the visible light source is selected from a groupconsisting of: a blue LED, an LED.
 14. The UV device of claim 10 whereinthe housing is waterproof.
 15. The UV device of claim 10 wherein the UVlight source is selected from a group consisting of: UV-A LED, UV-B LED,UV-C LED.
 16. A portable UV device configured to communicate with asmart device comprising: an external housing; a power source disposedwithin the external housing configured to provide operating power; a UVlight source disposed within the external housing and coupled to thepower source, wherein the UV light source is configured to provideoutput of sanitizing UV light and configured to sanitize a plurality oftarget surfaces other than a surface of the smart device in response tothe operating powered provided by the power source; a communicationmechanism disposed within the housing and coupled to the power source,wherein the communication mechanism is configured to receiveinstructions from the smart device; and a control mechanism disposedwithin the housing, wherein the control mechanism is coupled to the UVlight source, to the communication mechanism, and to the power source,wherein the control mechanism is configured to direct the power sourceto provide the operating power to the UV light source in response to theinstructions received from the smart device; and wherein the portable UVdevice is configured to be physically moved independently from the smartdevice to a plurality of locations associated with a plurality of targetsurfaces by the user to provide the sanitizing UV light to the pluralityof target surfaces other than the surface of the smart device.
 17. TheUV device of claim 16 wherein the communication mechanism is selectedfrom a group consisting of: NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RF, IR, a tetheredconnection.
 18. The UV device of claim 16 wherein the communicationmechanism configured to send data to the smart device, wherein the datais selected from a group consisting of: a status of the UV light source,a status of the power source, positional data of the UV device,proximity data of the UV light source to a surface.
 19. The UV device ofclaim 16 further comprising: a proximity sensor disposed within thehousing and coupled to the power source and to the control mechanism,wherein the proximity sensor is configured to determine a proximity ofthe UV light source to a surface; wherein the control mechanism isconfigured to determine whether the proximity of the UV light source issufficiently close to the surface; and wherein the control mechanism isconfigured to direct the power source to provide the operating power tothe UV light source also in response to a determination that theproximity of the UV light is sufficiently close to the surface.
 20. TheUV device of claim 19 wherein the proximity sensor is selected from agroup consisting of: an image sensor, a UV light sensor, a visible lightsensor, a camera sensor, and a sonic sensor.